One of the oldest songs ever recorded in Korea came from a wife standing on the bank of a river.
We don't know her name. We don't know her village. But through her voice, we know her sorrow.
Imagine her there: pleading, crying, warning her husband not to cross.
He does not listen. He crosses—and he drowns.
We brought Korea's oldest song, Gongmudohaga, back to life with Suno AI.
The original voice is long gone, but its sorrow, beauty, and longing live on in this song.
Original Lyrics
Do not cross the river,
Please, my love, please stay.
(公無渡河)
But you would not listen,
And drifted far away.
(公竟渡河)
Now you are gone—
Lost beneath the stream.
(墮河而死)
My joy has vanished;
Alas, what shall I do?
(當奈公何)
New Lyrics
Do not cross the river,
Please, my love, please stay.
The wind was cold and bitter,
Yet you walked away.
I called your name, but silence fell,
The water took you in its spell.
My hands reached out, but only air,
And now you’re gone—forever, nowhere.
Do not cross the river,
Please, my love, please stay.
But you would not listen,
And drifted far away.
Now you are gone—
Lost beneath the stream.
My joy has vanished;
Alas, what shall I do?
Shadows on the water,
Echoes on the shore.
Every step I wander,
I can’t find you anymore.
Your laughter fades like twilight’s song,
The night feels empty, dark, and long.
If I could turn the river’s tide,
I’d hold you close, back by my side.
Do not cross the river,
Please, my love, please stay.
But you would not listen,
And drifted far away.
Now you are gone—
Lost beneath the stream.
My joy has vanished;
Alas, what shall I do?
If love could build a bridge of light,
I’d walk across, I’d hold you tight.
But rivers flow, and time won’t bend,
I lost you once, I lose again.
Do not cross the river,
Please, my love, please stay.
But you would not listen,
And drifted far away.
Now you are gone—
Lost beneath the stream.
My joy has vanished;
Alas, what shall I do?
Do not cross the river…
Alas, what shall I do?